Curse of the Hayden's
by mph1473
Summary: Rory has an unexpected meeting with the Hayden's that has her running to Logan for comfort. One-shot!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This a one-shot that got stuck in my head but simply wouldn't go away, so more fic for you! Don't panic I'm normally a bigger literati shipper but I think Logan deserves a fighting chance too!**

 **Anyway, on with the show!**

* * *

For a reason that Logan couldn't quite figure out, he was standing in Brantford Hall on his way to the room of one Rory Gilmore. Something about her had peaked his interest and that was why he found himself with a huge cup of black coffee early Monday morning. He knew Mondays were hard for Rory, between her early class, whatever weekend craziness that she had been subjected to and the legendary Friday night dinners, the only way for her to feel like herself was one gigantic black coffee.

He knocked on the door and was about to knock again when the door swung open to reveal a disheveled Rory.

"Hey, Ace."

"Oh, hi Logan. What are you doing here?"

"I brought coffee." He presented her with the coffee and followed her in when she left the door open behind her. She slumped down on the couch and it occurred to Logan that she wasn't near as happy or talkative as she normally was. "You ok there, Ace?"

"I'm fine Logan." He didn't believe it for a second and the way she kept staring at her coffee just confirmed it.

He sat down beside her then looked at her. "Rory, you can tell me if you want. I might even be able to help." She slumped over and leaned into Logan's side putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but I'll tell you, ok?"

"Ok." After a minute of silence, Rory got up and headed to her room thanking him for the coffee before shutting her door.

Logan looked at the door stunned. Something was really wrong with Rory and he was worried, which honestly weirded him out, he had never experienced this emotion before.

* * *

The week had ticked by in its standard fashion for Logan: girls, booze and shenanigans. Though every time he saw Rory he had that nagging feeling that whatever was bugging her Monday morning never went away. When he saw her Friday morning she looked like she was about to go into the lion's den, and he knew that was caused by whatever Emily Gilmore must've had up her sleeve.

Friday night found Logan alone in his dorm room. Most Fridays he could be found at Rich Man's Shoe flirting and charming his way to his next lay with Colin and Finn, but that night Colin had been dragged off on a business trip with his Dad and Finn had fallen in love with a redhead on her way to Italy and decided to follow her there. Since he had a rare moment of peace he decided to take advantage of that and work on a paper that was due the next week.

He was nearing the halfway point when there was a sudden pounding on his door. He opened and Rory was standing there sobbing. He reached for her and pulled her to him and shut the door all in one move. Once she had calmed down a little he knew that he couldn't not know what was going on any longer.

"Rory, what is going on? Something's been wrong for a week and I want to know what it is?" Rory tightened her hold on him and buried her face further into his shirt. He heard a muffled 'ok' and moved them to the couch. Once they were settled he spoke; "Ok, I'm done being patient, _what_ is going on?"

Rory backed away from him a little so she could look him in the eye. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Can you do that?"

"I won't tell a soul. Not even Colin and Finn."

She smirked a little at that, but as fast as it came, it went. "How much do you know about my parentage?" Rory knew that gossip in Hartford high society spread like wildfire and her mom's pregnancy was the headline for years and was a cautionary tale to this day.

"I know about your mom and how she took off when you were a baby. There was a rumour about how you were the pool boy's daughter but that's it. Why?"

"Yeah. That last part isn't true."

"I figured it wasn't. Is this about your father Ace?"

"Yeah. No. Kind of. Him and his family." At Logan's nod to continue she launched into her long tale.

 _Flashback:_

 _Rory had been roped into one of her grandmother's high society events when she had answered her phone without checking the caller ID, which left her grandmother wide open to guilt her into attending what Rory thought was a DAR lunch Sunday afternoon._

 _She had been led through the house out into the garden and was met by her grandparents and Francine and Straub Hayden._

 _"_ _Grandma, Grandpa, Mr. and Mrs. Hayden."_

 _"_ _Richard, what is the meaning of this?" Straub sounded horrified and he practically growled at Richard Gilmore._

 _"_ _We thought it would be a good idea to get together with everyone again."_

 _"_ _Emily! How could you? You know I've never wanted to see this bastard ever again!" Rory had stood in shocked silence at the scene in front of her. "This girl ruined my son's life, not to mention that she nearly cost me my position on the supreme court. I did everything, EVERYTHING I could to separate my family from this disaster. I threatened Chris' trust fund when he wanted to get involved, this was the one time where I was glad where my son is nearly as useless and pathetic as your daughter and horrid granddaughter, he was more concerned for his trust fund and inheritance then this thing. I paid people off at the hospital to keep Chris' name off her fucking birth certificate!" He stopped yelling and Rory had hoped for a brief moment that he was finished with his tirade just for him to start up again. "You know she's no better than her mother, right? She's just as much of a whore, opening her legs for anyone who'll look her way. She screwed her ex-boyfriend when he was still married and ruined his marriage."_

 _"_ _ENOUGH!" Rory shouted from her spot near the back door. "I'm sorry if you think I ruined Dad's life or if I messed with your big career, but I really can't be blamed for any of that! Dad wasn't around until I was 16 so I am well aware of the fact that he cared about money more than me! I don't think I ruined Dad's life, he got to do whatever the hell he wanted while Mom and I lived in a fucking garden shed because with all of his millions he never paid a dime of child support! At least now I know why HE DIDN'T HAVE TO! If his name wasn't on my birth certificate then he would never be held responsible for anything. I was told time and time again that I wasn't allowed to put Dad's name on anything or tell anyone about my Dad. At least now I know why! What did you threaten huh?_

 _"_ _I told your mother that I could have you taken away." Straub replied without a hint of remorse._

 _"_ _Well, now we have it!" Then she turned to look at Richard and Emily "And you! What the HELL were you thinking? You knew they hated me simply for EXISTING, might I add. What did you think that we would be one happy family? Why did you do it?"_

 _"_ _Rory, you have to understand, people were talking about how our two families used to be so close and now we won't even appear at the same events. We thought getting together would be a way to squash those rumours."_

 _"_ _Oh my god. I think I'm going to go. Grandma, Grandpa, I'm so angry I don't even know where to start. When you want to apologize, you know where to find me. Until then, don't contact me. Mr. and Mrs. Hayden, you two can fucking go to hell. Goodbye!"_

 _The last thing she heard before she left was Francine saying; "My dear Emily, she doesn't even know how to behave in front of guests. What kind of lady is she?" She slammed the door hard enough that it knocked frames off the wall shattering them._

Present:

Rory had disintegrated into tears and Logan just held her while she sobbed into his chest. He kissed her head while rocking hoping she would stop crying. They stayed like that until Rory stopped crying when she did she sat up a little and looked down at his shirt. "I think I wrecked your shirt."

"It's ok." He smiled slightly at her as he wiped the tear streaks away with his thumbs. She settled back into his side, and they were silent before he finally asked about the twisted scenario she just described. "Richard and Emily didn't stand up for you during all this?"

"No. Which I think hurt worse than what Straub called me. I knew they hated me. I met them when I was sixteen and he said similar things. Don't get me wrong, he never called me a bastard and home-wrecker to my face the first time, but the second I walked on to that patio I knew that it would end similarly. But I thought at least Grandpa would've stood up for me. But no one said anything." Rory took a few breaths to try and steady her already frayed nerves before continuing. "Do you know what it's like to feel completely unwanted by the people who are supposed to love you the most? My paternal grandparents hate me, my dad didn't come to my hometown on his own until I was sixteen, and I'm starting to rethink how my maternal grandparents feel about me. Don't get me wrong I know my mom loves me but I wonder if I ruined her life too, she was so mad that grandma and grandpa did that and she was mad at me for falling for it. Somehow this was my fault." She groaned and leaned forward putting her head in hands. "Do you have any coffee?"

"Yeah, Ace. I'll go get it started." He kissed her head again before standing up. While making the coffee Logan thought about what Rory had said. Sure, he knew that his parents only had him because they needed a son and an heir. He knew that his parents needed him more than wanted him but he never felt outright hated by his family. He had never thought that he had ruined anyone's life simply for being born. He started to wonder what brought on this particular meltdown tonight.

He returned with the largest mug in his dorm filled to the top with coffee and watched her gulp down at least a third before she put it down. He had sat across from her this time on the coffee table so he could look straight at her. "Ace." She stared at her hands not looking up. "Please, Rory." The use of her first name brought her eyes up to his. "Can I ask you something?" She shrugged her shoulders as an ok. She looked exhausted. "What brought this on? I've been worried about you all week and you never told me, but you showed up here sobbing and I need to know."

"When I was first accepted to Yale I was denied financial aid because my mom had inherited some money from my grandfather. But, she had given it back to pay them back for the tuition for Chilton Prep. So, as a part of the deal for them to pay for Yale, I go to weekly Friday night dinners at their house."

"I guess this week's dinner didn't go well."

"No. We hadn't even gotten through drinks before all hell broke loose. It started off exactly like I would expect, with my mom asking how they could do all this and that they led me into an ambush."

"I've got to agree there, Ace."

"There was a point by point rehashing of what happened Sunday then it kept escalating until my grandmother said that they wouldn't be in this mess if my Mom had just done what they said twenty years ago. My Mom said she didn't want to get married but my grandma said, and I quote 'That or get an abortion.' My mom then yelled by saying maybe she should have then she would have been free of her parents and the hold she had on her."

"Oh, Ace." He said softly as she started sobbing again. Logan quickly stood up picked her up and deposited her in his lap so he had a tighter grip on her. He simply rubbed her back and kissed her head and let her cry it out. Eventually, the sobbing slowed to hiccups which slowed to whimpers which eventually stopped except for a few random tears. He adjusted to look at her and realized that she had fallen asleep. He picked her up, carrying her to his bed. He put her down, pulled the covers over and squatted down so he could see her face. He moved the hair back before planting a kiss on her forehead and leaving the room. He sighed and ran a hand down his face completely exhausted. He was about to clean up and head to bed when he heard a cell phone start to ring. He searched for it and discovered it was Rory's. He was about to shut it off before he read the caller ID. 'MOM'

He sighed then decided to answer it. "Hello"

"I'm sorry, who is answering my daughter's phone?"

"Logan Huntzberger. The man who has spent the last few hours comforting your daughter after every horrible insult possible had been thrown at her." He spoke with a growl.

"I deserved that, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. I'm sorry but I'm not your biggest fan at the moment."

"That makes two of us."

"Three. Rory's pissed too."

"Understandable."

"Look Lorelai. Rory loves you. You are her best friend but you hurt her so much and that is on top of everything else that's happened. I think it might be a good idea if you don't call for a while. Not long but give her a chance to cool off a little."

"Yeah, you're right. Take care of her, please?"

"I swear nothing will happen to her."

"Bye, Logan."

"Bye, Lorelai."

After he hung up, he shut off the phone, putting it back in her purse then shut off the light heading back to his room. He changed into some sweats and climbed in next to Rory pulling her closer to him and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning Rory woke up in a room that definitely wasn't hers. She was about to completely freak out until she turned over and realized she was with Logan. She rolled over snuggling closer to him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Morning Ace."

"G'morning." He backed up a little so he could see her face before speaking. "You know you've got a home with us, right? Me, Colin, Finn and Steph, we all want you around. I actually think they like you more than me. The only reason why I'm around is that I'll bring you. You didn't ruin my life Ace. I can guarantee that you made it better." Rory teared up a little at Logan's speech which made him nervous. "No, please don't cry. What'd I say?" Somehow his desperation made her laugh and she smiled at his confused expression.

"I'm not sad. That was really sweet. Thank you."

"No problem, Ace. So, what would you like to do today?"

"How about a patented Gilmore movie marathon?"

"Sounds good Ace. You pick the movies, I'll grab the junk food and we'll settle in, ok?"

"Ok."

They spent the rest of the day watching movies and eating junk food. Rory felt the safest she had ever felt, there in that moment, then she had ever before.

* * *

 **AN: I have an idea for a second chapter if anyone would be interested! Let me know!**

 **Review if you please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So, the consensus was that this needed another chapter. I started writing this then I took a hard left and ended up somewhere I did not expect. None the less I hope you guys like the ending.**

 **On with the show!**

* * *

Hours had passed and Logan realized the Rory was starting to seem more like herself. When he noticed it he decided to ask one more question that had been bugging him since last night.

"Hey, Ace?"

"Yeah, Logan."

"Can I ask you a question? About yesterday." Rory sighed and turned off the movie to look at Logan. "What else do you want to know?"

"About your ex-boyfriend." The silence was deafening. He knew that it would be a sensitive topic but he needed to know.

"Look, Logan, you can ask and if you really want to know, I'll tell you. But you are NOT allowed to judge me, got it."

"I'm in no position to judge you Ace, remember when I sunk a yacht? And that's just one of the many bad decisions I've made." He smirked at her, hoping to calm her nerves.

Rory fiddled with the TV remote for a while before explaining what happened. "Remember Dean?" She asked without looking up.

Logan suddenly remembered the scene outside Rory's grandparent's house after the Male Yale party, where her boyfriend very publicly dumped her after him and his friends followed her outside. "Yeah, I remember Dean. But, I thought you guys had dated in high school?"

"We did. But, we broke up in my senior year, I started dating a guy named Jess and he met Lindsey, who he ended up marrying a year later." Logan was shocked by this but nodded for her to continue. "At the end of my freshman year, I felt like the world was falling in on me. A professor recommended that I drop a class because they thought five was too much, mom was getting her inn up and running so I rarely spoke to her and I felt that things were spinning out of control. I had just moved home for the summer and Dean listened to my minor meltdown and tried to make me feel better. My relationship with Jess was unreliable and inconsistent and I was reliving it all because he showed up at my dorm when I was moving out to ask me to run away with him. I needed reliable at that moment and that's what Dean was. Or at least I thought so. We ended up sleeping together the night of the Dragonfly run through. Mom had sent me back to the house to get some CD's and he followed me there, I didn't think I was leading him on but I guess I was. We ended up having sex that night even though he was still married, we didn't start seeing each other regularly until he was divorced but I played a large part in the disintegration of his marriage. Maybe Straub was right, maybe I really am a whore who will open her legs for anyone who looks at her. That's essentially what happened with Dean."

"Whoa! Ace, stop right there! Just stop!" He actually held his hand out in front of him to get her attention. He grabbed her face in between his hands to get her to focus on him. "You ARE NOT a whore. Don't EVER say that about yourself ever again! First of all, it takes two to make a stupid sexual decision. He chose to sleep with you if he didn't want to cheat on his wife he wouldn't have slept with you. Second of all, it doesn't sound like you gave him an invitation to show up at your house, he saw an opportunity and he took it. You came to him for help and he took that as an invitation."

"I was a very willing participant in the whole thing, that makes me at fault."

"No, it doesn't. You didn't go home that summer planning to have sex with your married ex, you didn't plan to break up his marriage. And you certainly did not sleep with him because he was the first person in a while to show he cared about you."

Rory backed away from Logan and pulled her knees up to her chest as if to protect herself before speaking. "Maybe I didn't try hard enough," Rory whispered more to herself than to Logan, but he heard it none the less.

"What do you mean?"

Rory looked at him unsure if she was going to tell him about one of her biggest insecurities. When she looked at him she saw nothing but concern and kindness. "Have you ever wondered why I'm more straitlaced then most college sophomore's?"

"I always thought you just were just comfortable in your sheltered bubble?"

"I was. But, there was more to it than that."

"Ok? What was it?"

"I always sort of felt like I had to consistently be on my best behavior. Don't make mistakes, don't get bad grades, be who they want you to be and never let them regret it. If my grandfather Hayden thinks I'm a whore who ruined my dad's life, which is a lie, my dad wrecked his own life, he never saw me unless mom made him. My mom thinks she should've had an abortion so she wouldn't have to deal with my grandparents and my grandparents think that the lack of a scandal is worth more than me. I mus'nt've tried hard enough."

Logan couldn't believe what he was hearing. From the outside, it seemed like Rory and Lorelai had the perfect relationship and that Lorelai wouldn't care if Rory screwed up. In all likelihood that was true, but Rory was too scared to find out. "You aren't supposed to try and behave in a specific way in order for people to care about you. I've done so many stupid things but I know my sister cares about me. Hell, once I sank a yacht but she paid off the coast guard and bailed me out of jail. The people who love you and care about you aren't going to care about your perfect GPA or a spotless record. Ignore your grandfather he's an asshole and doesn't deserve to know you. So please don't take what he said seriously and it's your dad's loss if he didn't take the time to be a part of your childhood. I'm no stranger to having an absentee dad, it took me a lot of years and a lot of bail money to realize that he wasn't worth it and that I was better off without him. You haven't needed your dad or his family before so you don't need them now."

"Yeah, but it would have been nice."

"Yeah it would, but you have so many other people who love you, you don't need them."

"You're right. I never really cared about the Hayden's opinion of me until last week, it doesn't matter what I do, they aren't going to care." Logan wasn't sure to be relieved for saddened by her realization.

Rory was quiet and the longer the silence went on the more concerned Logan got. He knew that she was worried about something but he couldn't figure out what simply by looking at her. When she started biting her lip he spoke up. "What are you thinking about, Ace?" A small smile came across her face lessening Logan's panic over her silence.

"You know my grandparents weren't a part of my life until I was sixteen." Logan was about to interject about the Hayden's when Rory cut him off. "I mean the Gilmore's. When I got into Chilton my mom didn't have the money to pay for tuition and they don't give out scholarships, so my mom went to her parents to see if they'd cover tuition. If we have a falling out, I'd be able to live with it. My grandpa and I are closer than my grandma but I went sixteen years with minimal contact, I could go back to that. If my mom and I had a falling out I don't think I'd survive it. We're ridiculously close, she's actually my best friend. I can't imagine my life without her. While I never had my dad, it was always just my mom and me. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her anymore."

"You'll still have her Rory."

"How can you know?"

"Last night, after you fell asleep I was out in the living room when your cell phone rang. I picked it up and it was your mom. She wanted to apologize and try and make things right."

Rory sighed not sure what to think about that. Her mom had waited hours after the initial blow out to try and deal with the aftermath. "I don't want to talk to her just yet. I will but I'm just so mad, and upset that I'm not sure how a conversation would go."

"Ok you don't have to do anything you don't want to but you should talk to her soon. She's worried about you."

Rory nodded her head absentmindedly, thinking about what Logan said. "You're right. I'll call her soon."

Logan could tell that Rory didn't want to talk about it anymore so he turned the movie back on and they finished the movie in silence.

Rory stayed the night again and life eventually settled down in the next few days. Logan didn't want to let Rory leave, he didn't want her to be alone and it took very little to convince Rory to stay.

* * *

Rory, Stephanie, Logan Colin, and Finn had gone out on a Saturday night a few weeks later to blow off some steam. At some point, Logan and Rory had been abandoned by the other three. They were walking into a restaurant when Rory suddenly froze.

"Ace, what's wrong?" Logan looked around expecting to see the Gilmore's since the whole Hayden fiasco Rory had cut almost all ties with her grandparents. Her grandfather and she were still communicating and he was still paying for her tuition, without her grandmother's knowledge. She hadn't spoken to her grandmother since the disastrous Friday night dinner three weeks earlier. When a quick scan of the restaurant didn't show the Gilmore's, he looked to Rory to explain what was making her nervous. She nodded in the direction of an older couple who were getting ready to leave the restaurant.

"Who are they?" He whispered in her ear. She turned her head and whispered, "The Hayden's" so quietly that he had to strain to hear it. He looked at her in shock and she simply nodded in confirmation. As the Hayden's walked towards them Straub turned to say something to the maître d when he spotted them. Logan had never seen someone glare with as much disgust as Straub Hayden glared at Rory. That was saying something coming from Logan who had been on the receiving end of his father's tirades so often that he could almost schedule them into his week. They left the restaurant and before Rory could register what had happened Logan took off after them.

When she caught up with him Logan had started speaking in a threatening tone that Rory hadn't heard before.

"Straub Hayden, Logan Huntzberger, I have something I'd like to say to you."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"I know what you said to Rory at the Gilmore's house three weeks ago."

"Really? And what did I say?"

Logan looked at Rory silently asking for permission to repeat what had been said, when she nodded her head in agreement Logan recounted the entire encounter. As Logan got further into the story Straub's face started to pale. "What gives you the right to say those heinous things to a girl that you hardly know? You are wrong about all of it, you know. She's a wonderful person and she is most certainly not a whore." Logan looked at Rory apologetically, she shrugged her shoulders knowing that he didn't mean any harm by using the phrase.

"Are you sure about that? If she is with you, you must be screwing each other, she holds no other use for you." Logan was done playing nice and he grabbed Straub by the collar and shoved him up against the wall of the restaurant.

"Logan, let him go." Logan reluctantly released Straub and backed away, the man looked like he was ready to explode he was so angry. "You know, I do have one question," Rory spoke up startling Straub and Logan who had been locked in a staring contest. They turned and looked at her as she spoke again. "How did you know I slept with Dean? It wouldn't have shocked me in the least if you didn't know where I grew up so how'd you know?"

"I'm a very powerful man, Rory." Straub sneered her name like it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever said. "I'm also not above breaking the law to get what I want."

Rory went to speak again but was cut off by Francine "He was having you followed, he wanted to make sure that you wouldn't mess with his career. There was also something about bugging your house."

"Francine!"

"Well, next time you plan something illegal don't leave the email chain open on the computer. You could have left her alone! She didn't do anything, all she did was be born, all of this wasn't necessary."

"Francine, do you still have that email chain?" Rory said confusing everyone.

"Yes, I do, why?"

"Because I think Mitchum Huntzberger would find that very interesting. A supreme court judge illegally bugging his granddaughters house and having her followed."

Logan grinned at Rory's thinking, he couldn't believe that this was the same girl he meant earlier that year. She wouldn't dream of causing anyone harm but now she was plotting the demise of a supreme court judge's career.

"You're right Ace. My father has always hated you," He said pointing at Straub "And now we've given him the perfect ammunition to ruin you. He's always liked you, Ace, he'd absolutely be willing to take Straub down if you asked him too." Rory was pleased at what Logan said, it meant that she wasn't bluffing, she had real ammunition if she wanted to use it.

"You wouldn't dare. I would destroy you and your entire family. I had them sign an iron clad non-disclosure and telling Mitchum Huntzberger would be in direct violation."

"Try me. I asked my grandfather for a copy of the non-disclosure that you made my grandparents and my mom sign, and I guess it wasn't as iron clad as you claim because I found a loop hole. There is nothing in there that says I can't say who my father or my paternal grandparents are. It seems you forgot that the mess you were trying to separate yourself from would turn into a person. A person with just as much power as Richard Gilmore, or more considering I've got a newspaper conglomerate on my side."

Straub was staring at her in shock unable to speak, while Logan was beaming and Francine was smirking. She knew that one day her husband's hubris was going to come back and bite him in the ass, the fact that it came from the granddaughter he shunned just made it that much sweeter.

"C'mon, Ace. Let's go." Rory nodded, leaving with Logan while leaving a shocked Straub and an amused Francine in their wake.

They had been driving for a few minutes before Rory spoke up. "I want to go to Stars Hollow."

"You sure, Ace?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to my mom I haven't spoken to her in two weeks, I've never gone that long without speaking to her and it's time to try and fix this." There was a moment of silence before Rory spoke again. "But I also want to try and find those bugs in my house." Logan smirked, he was wondering if she was really going to try and destroy Straub or if she simply wanted them out of her house. "Ok, but I need to make one stop first."

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Colin and Finn's apartment building. "Logan, what are we doing here? I really don't walk in on some weird orgy those two are bound to have."

Logan barked out a laugh at Rory's hesitancy to go up to the apartment. "Don't worry Ace, they won't be back for hours, and I've got a key so we aren't breaking and entering. As to why we're here, Colin went through a paranoid stage and bought a device to find bugs. And luckily for us, I know where he keeps it. C'mon." With that, he hoped out of the car and gestured for Rory to follow him. For a reason, she didn't understand she trusted him and would probably follow him anywhere he asked.

Forty-five minutes later they were entering Stars-Hollow with the bug locator. Rory had gone from nervous and jittery, talking a mile a minute, to an eerie silence. "Ace, it's going to be fine." Logan reached over and laid his hand on her thigh, surprising them both Rory reached down and grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze. They stayed that way while they drove through the sleepy town and eventually pulled into the driveway of Rory's childhood home.

Logan smiled looking at the house, even from the outside it seemed so homey and welcoming. His house lacked such characteristics. Logan looked over to tell Rory what he was thinking but stopped when he saw her expression. "Are you ok, Ace?"

"Yes, no, I don't know. What if she's really mad. What if she decided I'm not worth it. What if she's pissed I didn't get pictures when we threatened Straub!"

"Rory, relax, she screwed up and she knows it, so she won't be mad at you. She'll just be happy to see you." Rory started biting her lip as she looked up to the house, Logan reached up and eased her lip from between her teeth then lightly touched her cheek. "Are you ready?" Logan whispered, even though all he really wanted to do was kiss her but knowing that doing that would ruin most of what had happened until that moment.

"Yes, I am. Will you come with me?" Logan was shocked at her request. He really thought that would be a Gilmore Girls only moment and that he'd be intruding. "Are you sure? I can just stay in the car."

"No. I want you to be there. Please." Logan nodded his head then got out of the car after her. She hesitated for a moment then walked up to the house and walked in. Logan diligently followed behind though he was confused about how some could just walk in their parents' house.

"MOM!"

"Rory?" Lorelai stuck her head out of the kitchen to see Rory and Logan standing in her living room. "Oh my god! Rory! You're home!" Lorelai rushed forward giving Rory a huge hug. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean a word of it, and I should not have said it. Will you ever forgive me?" Lorelai was holding Rory at arm's length so she could see her while they spoke.

"Of course, I will, but mom it really hurt what you said, and I'm still a little mad at you."

"I know. I will make it up to you I promise. Now, can I ask about the trust fund baby standing awkwardly by the couch?"

"Oh, that's Logan."

"You're Logan, huh?" Logan nodded his head, slightly terrified of Rory's doppelganger. "I've heard many things about you, but the most important thing I saw to you is thank you." When Logan looked on completely baffled both girl burst out laughing.

"What did you think she was going to eat you?" Rory said through giggles

"Well, yeah! She's scary and I'm rarely thanked for associating with anyone's daughter."

Once Lorelai and Rory stopped laughing Lorelai looked at Logan seriously again. "I do mean it. You looked after Rory when she felt that she had no one, and I know that I am partially to blame for that and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her, but the fact that you cared enough to look after her means so much to me. I'll trust you forever even though you come from a species I don't particularly like."

"I appreciate that, and I'm so glad that you trust me, even though you should, by nature, probably hate me."

Lorelai grinned at Logan now that they had reached a mutual understanding. She looked back at Rory and grinned. "So, do you want to hear about the latest town gossip? Babette got a new cat and everyone's up in arms!"

"No way! What about buttercup? And what did Taylor say?"

"Well, buttercup was diagnosed with depression and she needs a support animal, so there's no issue there, but Taylor said that Babette and Morey did not gain the proper license nor go through the proper training to have a service animal within the town limits."

"Well of course. Buttercup had seemed sad. And how can Taylor expect to keep the order if there are animals running around without the proper license. What do they think we are? A Zoo?"

Logan smirked and settled in to hear all the stories that happened in the magical town of Stars Hollow.

* * *

"Now kid, I've got to ask, did something prompt this visit of yours?"

Rory sighed not sure how to tell her mom about her latest encounter with the Hayden's. She looked at Logan who nodded his head in support before she continued. "Yes, something did prompt the visit. But, before I tell you the rest can we go outside to talk about it?"

"Sure kid, but why?"

"I'll tell you everything once we're outside."

Once they were all situated on the front porch Rory continued her story. "Logan and I were at a restaurant earlier today and when we were leaving we saw the Hayden's. There was confrontation and Logan threw Straub against a wall."

"Nice going kid." Lorelai said to Logan before gesturing for Rory to continue.

"Well, we found out that he had been having me followed. When we were at the Gilmore's he said-some not nice things and he knew what happened with Dean. Tonight, I asked him about that and he said that the nice thing about being rich was that he could do whatever he wanted, even if that meant breaking the law. He said that he had been having me followed and Francine also said that he at one point thought about bugging the house."

"Hold on, you mean that someone has been recording everything that has been said in our house?"

"Possibly yeah."

"That asshole."

"Yeah, when we found this out Logan threatened to Huntzberger his ass. Ruin his career, drag him through the mud, the whole nine yards."

This was when Logan decided to make himself known. "My father has always hated Straub Hayden, I don't know why and I don't really care, but he's also loved Rory since the minute she called him a tyrant and stood up to him like no one has since he was a child and was scolded by his nanny. I believe that if Rory asks he would happily run the story about how Straub illegally bugged his granddaughters house. We just need proof. Francine was going to send Rory a copy of the email she found the information in and we were hoping to find the bug."

"Go for it. But, how are you going to do it sweets? We haven't stumbled across it yet so it's well hidden."

Logan jumped in again knowing that it was almost too crazy to believe. "I have some insane friends and one of them went through a paranoid phase. He bought all of this high-tech security equipment and other gadgets, one being this bug tracer." Logan handed the device to Lorelai before continuing. "We wanted to use it and see if we could find the bug."

"Wow, kid. The perks of having rich friends."

"What can I say, it comes in handy sometimes." Rory quipped back

"Oh, I get it. You only associate with me for my money." Logan teased.

"Oh, don't be like that. You know I love you." Rory smiled at Logan not missing the startled look on his face, but not saying anything about it.

"Ok." Lorelai yelped from her spot on the swing. "Let's go find this bug."

One hour later they had found three bugs, one in the living room, kitchen and Rory's bedroom, making Rory feel violated that someone was listening to everything that happened in her bedroom. They also found one camera positioned so it could see the living room, a part of the kitchen and the entrance to Rory's bedroom. They had the four devices spread out on the coffee table looking at them in shock and horror. Before anyone had a chance to say anything Rory's phone chimed indicating a new email, she pulled it out and realized it was from Francine Hayden. She had sent a copy of the email where Straub had discussed bugging and setting up cameras in Rory's house. She showed the email to Logan and he just nodded his head. "Logan, call your dad. We've got everything we need now." Logan nodded and got up to make the phone call.

"I can't believe it sweets. He was always a horrible man but I thought it was just ego and superiority, I never thought he'd do something like this. Are you ok? What do you want to do?"

"I want to bash his head in, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Yeah, let's hold off on the physical violence for a while." Lorelai was impressed, Rory never would have been so set on seeking justice for something like this, she was glad that her daughters backbone was finally taking shape. "Do you want to stay here tonight? Everyone really misses you."

"Oh, mom. I'd love to but tonight I think I need to go back to Yale. A lot has happened and I need some space. Especially from all of that." Rory gestured to equipment in front of her.

"That's ok, sweets. I understand, but come home soon and we'll do a real Gilmore Girls weekend. Complete with the sugar coma." Rory hugged Lorelai, relishing the feeling of having her best friend back. Logan chose that moment to back into the room. "I called my dad and…" He trailed off noticing the looks on the girls faces. "Are you guys ok?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine. So, what did your dad say?"

"He wants to see all of this but he's pretty sure he can run the story either way. He's so excited that he has a chance to take Straub out I might not get a lecture for two weeks." Lorelai laughed, knowing the feeling of being a disappointment to your parents all too well.

"Rory, do you want to stay here tonight? Because if you want to come back to Yale then we can swing by my dad's office in Hartford and show him all of this and the email. So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm going with you." Logan beamed, pleased that she wanted to stay with him. They collected the devices and all of their things before saying goodbye and heading to Hartford.

* * *

Within the next month, two headlines graced the front pages of nearly every HPG paper in the country. The first one, which was released a little over two weeks after the meeting outside the restaurant read **Judge Supreme, Straub Hayden Illegally Spied on and Recorded Estranged Granddaughter for Political Gain.** The fallout from that was immense, there were hearings, criminal charges laid against Straub and Rory was a part of the 24-hour news cycle in a way that she had never intended.

Two months later the next headline read **Hayden resigns From Supreme Court amidst Criminal Charges.**

Rory never saw or heard anything about the Hayden's ever again.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I am aware that real life doesn't really work like that but a girl can dream. I am also aware of the irony when Logan says that Lorelai would still love her no matter her criminal record. It worked with the statement, so I put in there.**

 **Review if you please!**


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